Brazil’s Lula and Bolsonaro must compete again after an unexpectedly close race.

In the second round of voting in Brazil, incumbent far-right Jair Bolsonaro will face left-wing challenger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Nearly all of the ballots had been tallied, and Lula had defeated Bolsonaro 43% to 48%, a result that was far closer than predicted by polls.

To avoid a run-off, Lula required more than 50% of valid votes, however she fell short of that threshold.

The two candidates for president of Brazil will now face off in four weeks of voting.

It was always going to be difficult for any contender to win the election outright in the first round because it had been 24 years since it had occurred.

However, President Bolsonaro and Lula had given his followers confidence that they could succeed in doing precisely that.

However, this is something that both candidates can and will celebrate as a win. On his journey to the president, Lula has already stated that this is a “minor delay.”

This represents a remarkable turnaround for the 76-year-old former metal worker who was unable to run in the 2018 election since he was serving a jail sentence after being found guilty of corruption charges that were later thrown out.

And President Bolsonaro, who polls had shown was well behind Lula, would be happy that he disproved the pollsters, as he had said he would.
Years have passed while creating this play. The two men, who are bitter rivals, traded jabs throughout the majority of the campaign.

President Bolsonaro referred to the corruption accusations that led to Lula’s 580-day prison sentence before the conviction was overturned and branded him a thief during the final TV discussion before the voting.

Lula has consistently insisted that the accusations against him are politically motivated, and he has called Mr. Bolsonaro insane.

It is not unexpected that this tension has permeated the streets. In Rio, neighbors could be heard yelling “Out with Bolsonaro” and “Lula is a thief” at one another in the days leading up to the election.

There is a lot on the line because the two candidates are so diametrically opposed.
While Mr. Bolsonaro has suggested that some areas of the rainforest should be opened up to economic exploitation, Lula has stated that he will strengthen steps to safeguard the Amazon rainforest.

Under President Bolsonaro’s leadership, forest fires and deforestation have increased dramatically. Climate activists have cautioned that the region might approach a tipping point if he is re-elected.

Lula ruled Brazil from 2003 to 2010, and his environmental record during that period was far from faultless, according to critics.

But because Mr. Bolsonaro depends on the agricultural industry and agribusiness for votes and support, Lula is the candidate that climate activists favor.

Brazilian voters do, however, have a number of other urgent issues, such as the increasing cost of food, which has led to an increase in hunger and poverty.

After the results were announced, Mr. Bolsonaro issued a statement acknowledging these worries. “I am aware that the state of affairs facing the Brazilian people played a significant role in the voting. They can sense the price increases, particularly for basic necessities. I recognize the yearning for change, but some changes can be detrimental “He issued a warning.

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Numerous voters also emphasized the importance of education and Brazil’s extreme inequality as topics they want the new leader to address.

But worries that Mr. Bolsonaro might not concede defeat after declaring that “only God” could remove him from government cast a cloud over most of the campaign.

He had also questioned Brazil’s electronic voting technology, claiming that it was susceptible to fraud without offering any supporting data.

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He is now likely to focus more on how to persuade those people who cast their ballot for one of the other nine candidates who were defeated in the first round because the outcome was considerably more favorable to him than anticipated.

All eyes will now be on center-left candidate Ciro Gomes, who finished fourth with 3%, and centrist senator Simone Tebet, who finished third with 4%. Both stated that they will “in the coming days” declare who they would support in the run-off.

The motto of Lula’s team is “the fight continues until the final victory,” who seems to thrive on conquering challenges.